Safety cover for book matches



May 23, 1961 I M. F. MALE'K SAFETY COVER FOR BOOK MATCHES Filed April 13, 1959 g m, m 7 Wu./b 7/0 z 7 .T 9 7 6, M 2

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INV EN TOR 'z'fia M/TMA L EK United States Patent SAFETY COVER FOR BOOK MATCHES Mitchell F. Malek, 286 E. Franklin St., Danielson, Conn.

Filed Apr. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 805,762

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-29) This invention relates to an improved cover for book or paper matches and more particularly to a cover formed to provide side walls for substantially closing the side edges of the cover when the cover is in a closed position, to minimize the risk of igniting all of the matches in a match book, while striking one match.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cover including a front wall which is swinga-ble to a position for exposing the matches for removal from the match book, and wherein the side walls are carried by the front wall and moved therewith to assume open positions simultaneously with the front Wall.

A further object of the invention is to provide a match book cover having side wall extensions which are secured together in a manner for maintaining the cover side walls in positions substantialy crosswise to the front and rear walls of the cover, and against the side edges of the rear wall, when the cover is in a closed position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a match book, showing a preferred embodiment of the cover in a closed position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view Patented May 23, 1961 lines 15 and 16. The portion of the cover blank located between the fold lines 15 and 16 constitutes a top wall 17 of the cover blank.

The cover blank additionally includes corresponding lateral extensions located at each side of the portions 11, 17 and 13, each of which extensions includes a portion forming a side wall 18 and a portion 19 forming a side wall retaining member. The portions 18 and 19 are separated by a transverse fold line 20' which aligns with the fold line 15. Each side wall forming portion 18 extends from its fold line 20 toward the free end of the upper front wall section 11 but terminates in spaced relation thereto; as seen in Figure 5, and has an outer edge 21 which converges toward the blank portion 11 in a direction away from the fold line 20. Each side wall forming portion 18 is separated from the upper front wall portion 11 by a fold line 22 which is disposed longitudinally'of the blank. The side wall retaining portions 19 extend longitudinally of the cover blank across the top wall 17 and along a portion of the rear wall 13 and are separated from said portions 13 and 17 by being out along the solid lines 23 Which'are disposed in alignment with the fold lines 22. All of the fold lines 14, 15, 16, 20 and 22 are illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 5.

The back wall13 of the cover 10 is adaptedto be disposed lengthwise'along one side of a double or two ply comb or group of paper safety matches 24, of a conventional type, and which includes a two ply base 25 from which the individual match splints 26 extend. The match splints '26 have conventional igniting heads 27 at the'free ends thereof which are disposed remote from the base 25. The cover portion 12 is folded along the two fold lines 14 so as to extend upwardly along the other side of the base 25 of the matches, and the portions 12 and 13 are secured to the matches 24 in a conventional manner by a staple 28 which extends through said portions 12 and the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the cover, on an enlarged scale and with the matches omitted, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3'-3 of Figure 1;

Figure .4 isa fragmentary topplan view of the match book as seen in Figure l and on an enlarged scale;

Figure 5 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the blank from which the cover of Figures 1 to 4 is formed;

Figure 6 is a front elevational view illustrating a modification of the invention and including a cover section applied to a conventional match book cover;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 6, and on an enlarged scale, and

Figure 8 is a plan view, on a reduced scale, of the blank forming the match book cover attachment, illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, and first with reference to Figures 1 to 5, the improved match book cover 10 is formed from a single elongated blank of paper, cardboard or other suitable material. The cover blank includes a panel 11 forming the upper front wall section of the match book cover 10 and constituting one end of the blank. The other end of the blank forms a lower front wall section 12. An elongated portion 13 constitutes the rear wall of the cover 10 and is separated from the front wall portion 12 by two adjacently disposed transversely extending substantially parallel fold lines 14. The rear wall portion 13 is separated from the upper front wall portion 11 by spaced substantially parallel fold 13 and through the base 25, and which is spaced from the free end 29 of said lower front wall portion 12 of the cover, as seen in Figure 2. The cover 10 is folded along the fold lines 15 and 16 so that the upper front wall portion 11 is disposed along the opposite or front side of the match comb 24 to the rear wall 13, and the free end of. the upper front wall section 11 engages under the free end 29 of the lower front wall section 12 in the closed position of the, cover 10, as seen in Figure 2.

" When the cover is in a closed position, the top wall 17 of 'the cover extends acrossthe match heads 27. v

The cover portions 11, 12, 13 and 17 and their relationship to the match comb 24-, as previously described and as illustrated in Figure 2, is conventional.

The side wall portions 18 are folded along the fold lines 22 inwardly with respect to one another, so that said side walls 18 extend across the side openings of the cover between the longitudinal edges of the upper front wall portion 1 1 and the rear wall 13, and said side walls 18 extend rearwardly across the side edges of the rear wall 13, as seen in Figure 2. The side wall retaining strips 19 are folded inwardly relative to one another along their fold lines 20 so as to extend along the outer side of the top wall 17 and in overlapping relation to one another. The overlapping portions of the side wall retaining strips 19 are secured to one another in any suitable manner, as by means of conventional staples 30. However, the strips 19 are not connected to the top wall 17. An igniting or striking strip 31, of a conventional type on which the match heads 27 can be ignited, is secured in any suitable manner as by an adhesive, not shown, to the upper side of the uppermost side wall retaining strip 19.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that when the retaining strips 19 are secured to one another, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4, that the side walls 18 will be maintained parallel to one another and will extend across the side edges of the rear wall 13 to function with said rear wall and the upper front wall section 11 to completely enclose the match heads 27, when the cover is closed, so that there will be no risk of the match heads, contained Within the colver10, being accidentally ignited while one matchisfb'eing ignited by being struck on the surface 31.

The free end portions of the retaining strips 19 are each of a width substantially corresponding to the width of the top Wall 17, and of a Width less than the width of the side walls 18, at the fold lines 20. However, said strips 19 have inner end portions 32 which are of a width corresponding to the width of the side walls 18 at the fold lines 20', and which portions 32 extend inwardly with respect to one another from the folds 20, for reinforcing and bracingthe side walls 18 at their wide ends;

With the strips 19 secured together, the match book cover 10 will be prevented from hinging on the fold line so that the upper front wall section 11 may not swing relative to the top wall 17. However, since the parts 18 and '19 are not connected to the rear wall 13,

the upper front wall section 11, top wall 17, side Walls 18, connecting strips 19 and striking strip 31may swing as a unit relative to the rear wall 13 about the fold 16 as a hinge for readily exposing the match splints 26; ;for removal from the base 25. The location of the striking surface 31 prevents striking a match thereon until the strips 19 are secured together. An igniting strip 31a, corresponding to the strip 31, is then secured in any conventional manner over the uppermost strip 19a to complete the assembly of the attachmentv 34. The strips 19a are then positioned along the outer side of the top Wall 36 of the match book cover 33 and with the panel 1 1a disposed against the outer side of the upper front wall section 37 of the cover 33. The panel'lla is secured to the front wall section 37 by a staple or other suitable fastening 38 to mount the attachment 34'on said cover portion 37, and so that the Walls 18a will close the side edges of the cover 33, when said cover is in a closed position, in the same manner and for the same purpose as previously described in reference to the side walls 18 of the cover 10. The front wall section 37, top wall 36 andthe attachment 34 will swing as a unit about the fold edge 39 and relative to the rear Wall 40 of the cover in opening and closing the match book.

In view of the detailed description of the cover 10, a further description of the cover attachment 34 is considered unnecessary. 7

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined bythe appended claims.

I'claim as my invention: 7 1: "A-folding match book cover including a rear wall, a front wall, a top wall and side walls, said top wall being connected to the front wall and being hinged to the ,rear wall, said side walls being connected to the frontwall and extending from side edges thereof across side edges of the rear wall for closing the sides of the cover, 'and reinforcing means; extending between and l secured to corresponding ends of said side walls and distional match book cover 33. Said attachment, desi'g nated generally 34, is shown in blank form in Figure 8 posedalong the top wall for maintaining said side walls substantially parallel to one another, said side walls being supported by the front wall for movement therewith and 17 are omitted. Said attachment 34 includes-a front 1 panel portion 11a, corresponding to the part'l'l, having side edge extensions 18a, corresponding to the side Walls 18, and extensions 19a, correspondingv to the parts 19.;

The parts 19a are disposed inalignment with the-parts relative to the rear wall. 1; 2. A folding match book cover as in claim 1, said reinforcing means being connected to the top wall.

eissues Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 276,179 Great Britain Aug.25, 1927 

